Don't Stop Me Now!
by Chocolate X My Mouth
Summary: Adrien has continued to feel... different, sort of, after Party Crasher happened. He's begun to desire to relive those fun-filled moments, and want to spend time with the people who made it possible once more. Thanks to some help from Plagg, Adrien decides he's going to start doing more of his own thing. And one of the things at the top of his list... is to hang out with Marinette!
1. Chapter 1

**Adrien deserves to rebel. He deserves it. Let the boy run free and roam around through the wonders of Paris. Please.**

**(bonus points if you get the song reference in the title - I think it fits the story quite well ;))**

* * *

It had been at least a week since Adrien's insane, amazing, and most-likely illegal house party.

Adrien currently laid down on his bed, wondering what the next week at school would be like. However, he just couldn't fall asleep. Something was nagging at him. Some sort of feeling just wouldn't let him go... and it was so weird. Another weird thing was that he couldn't stop thinking about said party, and how badly he just wanted to relive that moment.

It was a rare moment - not a single cellphone had been in sight. There were just people, living in the moment, and he and the boys were just having a good time. And then Marinette came along, and right before Wayhem crashed through the door as Party Crasher, he had only wondered how much better the day would be thanks to his very good friend showing up.

(And yes, before you get onto him, he did enjoy planting trees with the girls. It was, however, nowhere near the level of fun he had at the party.)

"Plagg, can you help me out here?" Adrien asked.

"What's up, kid?" Plagg asked - he had just had a surplus of cheese enter into his stomach, so he felt like he wasn't going to bed anytime soon, and he felt perfectly fine with it. It was a weird feeling, for sure.

"I just... something's nagging at me," Adrien sighed. "Like, do you remember the house party my friends helped me have a week ago?"

"Yeah, that was sick!" Plagg laughed. "What about it?"

"I didn't just feel good during that time," Adrien said, now sitting up in his bed. "I felt _amazing. _Like, for the first time, I was truly free. And yeah, I still felt guilty about Wayhem, but I couldn't even hear my phone! That, haha, that's never happened before!"

"I think I get where you're going here, kid," Plagg said. "You had fun... rebelling."

"W-What?" Adrien exclaimed. "Plagg, no. No. I'm not a rebel."

"What's wrong with being a _kid_ every now and then, huh?" Plagg said, now hovering next to Adrien's face. "C'mon. I know exactly what you want."

"Plagg," Adrien said dryly, "its 12:13 at night."

"No, not right now!" the kwami said. "Just... tomorrow, do something else different. Maybe one or two tiny things, all decided by yourself. Wear something different, visit a new location, hang out after school for a few minutes with Marinette or someone, have fun for once! Your old man won't notice a thing if it's just a small one or two things."

Adrien's eyes lit up... for some reason, his interest suddenly became piqued when he heard Marinette's name.

And then he remembered how overjoyed he was to see her at the party. Yeah, it was an event for all the boys, but she should've been an exception! At least, in his opinion. He really liked Marinette, and felt she at least deserved to come in... And then how wonderful their conversations were during the tree planting? Making it more fun than they thought it would be?

Oh gosh... was Marinette the key to all of this stuff happening?

She was.

She was it.

And he owed this all to her... oh, he'd have to thank her tomorrow!

"Plagg, you're a genius!" Adrien exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeah, I know," Plagg chuckled.

"No really, you are!" the blonde continued. "Think about it - who's the one that came to the party uninvited? That was Marinette, and she just did something small, and we didn't even notice she had done it until her disguise fell off! And I just remembered what a pleasant conversation we had about hamsters on the way to plant trees..."

"So?" Plagg asked.

"Plagg," Adrien said. "Marinette started this all for me. I need to thank her somehow!"

"Well, just buy a pastry from her parents bakery or something," Plagg muttered. "That ticks off the location sneaking, and also helps her parents business. Also puts you in a good position in their books if you ever decide to go further with her."

"WHAT?!" Adrien spluttered. "P-Plagg, s-stop it or else I revoke all of my compliments."

"Alright, you win kid," Plagg laughed. "Just go to sleep and wake up a bit earlier so you can pick out a new outfit. You and I? We're gonna stick it to the old people."

Adrien smirked, and nodded.

"Hell yeah we are," he said, before giggling lightly. "P-Plagg, why did that feel good?"

"Dunno," Plagg shrugged, before settling back down to head to sleep.

Adrien, meanwhile, didn't stop smiling until he fell asleep.

_This was gonna be fun..._

* * *

_**7:05 AM**_

Plagg didn't exactly know why Adrien was taking this outfit thing so seriously. He had gone through at least ten different styles, and apparently, "Models can make anything look good!" wasn't working as an excuse for him to wear whatever the hell he pulled out.

"O-Oh! This one looks good!" Adrien suddenly piped up, finally making Plagg look up.

Adrien now had on black and white sneakers instead of orange ones, his jeans had been replaced with black pants, he had on a neon green t-shirt, and a black leather jacket from an old shoot that he still fit into. And to add to it all, Adrien had found an old pair of sunglasses that fit perfectly with the outfit.

"Holy cheeses," Plagg said. "You look SICK!"

"I know, right?!" Adrien laughed. "I-I feel great! Thanks for the compliment, dude!"

"No problem, man!" Plagg smiled. "Just, uh... one question - are you gonna wear the shades in class?"

"Oh, oh no, these are just because its supposed to be extra bright out today," Adrien said, placing them in the jacket pocket.

Plagg sighed... his kid had a long way to go, but he was getting there.

"So, you wanna wear that to the next Kitty Section gig?" Plagg asked. "You know you loved being on stage..."

"I did, but that's further down the line of... 'rebellious' activities," Adrien said. "And probably as far as I'll go, too. Anything past that could actually be harmful to me."

"I hear ya kid, I hear ya," Plagg nodded. "Now, why don't you go downstairs and get eating? You've got a pastry calling your name for lunchtime!"

"Yes I do!" Adrien smiled, pumping his fist in the air, before walking out of his room with his bag, and with Plagg in his jacket pocket.

When he got to the breakfast table, Nathalie was sitting there, mainly focusing on her tablet. She actually didn't even look up at Adrien until he told her good morning in a more chipper tone than usual (well, when it came to Mondays). Her eyes almost popped when she saw his new look.

"O-Oh!" she exclaimed. "A-Adrien... uh, try-trying a new look?"

"Yeah," Adrien nodded proudly. "I was kinda getting tired of my old one, so I figured I'd switch things up a bit! Do you like it?"

"Its certainly... fresh, yes," Nathalie nodded. "And... well, those colors do look good on you. So I'd say, yes, I do quite like it."

"Thank you, Nathalie!" Adrien smiled brightly.

Nathalie couldn't help but smile softly at how happy Adrien seemed this morning... it was a rare sight to see the boy so excited. It was a nice sight, though, and one she wished would be seen more often at this house.

As Adrien wrapped up eating, the two stepped out to the car to be escorted by the Gorilla to Adrien's school.

If only you could see how excited he was to test his new look!

He knew it was a little thing to be excited about, but this didn't hinder his excitement one bit.

* * *

_**8:00 AM**_

When Adrien got out of the car, not one jaw dropped. Almost no one batted an eye.

And that made him happy.

That meant that this may just go unnoticed. If the public didn't notice it, and they paid attention to him way more than he liked, then his father would surely never notice this! Oh, joy of joys!

And apparently he wasn't the only one trying on a new look - Kim had come into school wearing a golden circlet on his head! It was almost like everyone was trying on a new look today!

However, truth be told, literally just about everyone looked the same.

Then, he saw her.

Marinette.

Sweet, funny, adorable klutz, rebel-of sorts (depending on the context) Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

Adrien immediately rushed over to go talk to her, nearly tripping himself on the way out of excitement. When he got there, he found not only Marinette, but Alya and Nino, all of whom were equally amazed by his new look.

"Woah! Adrien! You look sick, dude!" Nino smiled.

"Yo, that is such a cool look!" Alya exclaimed. "Mari, girl, go ahead. Complement the boy."

"I-I... wow!" Marinette laughed. "I-Its so awesome, Adrien! I-Is it, b-by chance... Chat Noir inspired?"

"Oh, no, not intentionally," Adrien chuckled, looking down. "But hey, nothing wrong with showing off the style!"

"Of the coolest hero in Paris!" Marinette added on.

Adrien suddenly felt his heart fill with warmth and happiness over hearing Marinette call him "the coolest hero in Paris"... she was such a sweetheart! What a great friend!

"That's so kind of you, Marinette," Adrien beamed. "If Chat Noir heard that, he'd probably be over the moon!"

"Pssh!" Marinette scoffed, blushing lightly.

"But, uhm, could I speak with you for a moment? Please?" Adrien asked.

"O-Oh, sure!" Marinette said. "What up is? Ack, what's up?! I mean... yeah, sure, whaddup?"

Adrien laughed wholeheartedly. "Would you mind if I stopped at your parent's bakery during our lunch and got a pastry there? And... would you like to tag along?"

"O-Oh, m-me? ME?!" Marinette exclaimed. "Y-Yes! O-One thous-One million percent!"

"Really? Fantastic!" Adrien smiled. "I'll see you at lunch then. Thanks again, Marinette!"

As Adrien walked off to go get ready for class, Alya and Nino were smiling in the background as Marinette practically melted on the spot.

_She. Was having lunch. With Adrien Agreste._

* * *

_**12:00 PM**_

Marinette didn't think she had ever been more excited for a lunch break like how excited she was right now.

All day, throughout her classes, she hadn't been able to stop tapping her foot in excitement. Thankfully, none of the teachers seemed to notice (although Alya sure did - sly girl didn't stop giggling for like, ten minutes!). And most of the attention in the class was focused on Adrien's new getup anyway... especially Chloe.

However, when it came to her, she didn't like it.

Chloe was actually horrified by all the black that Adrien was wearing. However, before any of the guys could jump to his defense, Marinette sprung up and talked about how Adrien was his own separate human being, and was allowed to make his own decisions.

Nino, Kim, Max, and Ivan just backed her up, and Nathaniel gave his support in a silent nod. The girls, meanwhile, gave Chloe the nastiest stares they could muster. Did it do anything? No. But did it make them all feel good? Yes.

And Adrien didn't stop practically glowing for that entire class. Or the next. Or the one after that.

After the last class concluded, however, Marinette was a bit behind when it came to packing up (damn pencil, always rolling away at important moments!), so she missed out on asking Adrien if he still wanted to have lunch with her.

However, once she got outside, she just barely picked up on Luka and Adrien speaking about something.

"...Yeah dude, come by the boat house anytime!" Luka said. "I'd be honored to teach you, dude."

"Thank you so much, Luka!" Adrien smiled. "If I can manage to find time, I'll let you know for sure."

"Awesome dude," Luka smiled back. "So, what's your plan for lunch?"

"Oh, I'm actually heading out with Marinette," said Adrien, "wherever she-oh, there she is! Later Luka!"

"Later, wild guy," Luka laughed, waving Adrien bye and walking off to find his own lunch partner.

"So, does the offer still stand?" Adrien smiled.

"Y-Yes, o-of course!" Marinette smiled. "I-I'd never, ever, EVER ghost you!"

"Well, good to know!" Adrien said happily. "So, uhm... what pastry would you recommend the most? I want to try something so desperately, and its actually nagging at me at night. I know that sounds dumb-"

"No no no, I-I believe you!" Marinette said. "I-I know, this is probably the most boring suggestion ever, but a classic croissant or chocolate chip cookie is what I'd recommend."

"Hey, nothing wrong with classics!" Adrien smiled. "I'll gladly try both, if that's fine with you."

"O-Oh, me? Eat all you want!" Marinette said happily. "You know our home is as open to you as it is me."

Adrien placed his hand over his heart, and smiled warmly. "Thank you, Marinette. I mean, really, that means more than the world to me."

"You're welcome," Marinette smiled happily. "Its no troub-"

"MARINETTE!"

A sudden scream from a jock that both Adrien and Marinette knew well startled the two, and they just barely turned around in time to see Kim running at top speed towards them.

"Kim! KIM!" Marinette exclaimed, putting her hands up once he got nearly too close for comfort; thankfully, he stopped himself a safe talking distance away. "What is it, Kim? Akuma?"

"No, no no no," Kim said. "I just wanted to know... do your parents still make that banana bread?"

"Uhm... yes?" Marinette said, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you didn't like bananas, Kim."

"Oh, I just have a weird craving for them, and other banana flavored things, for some reason," he muttered. "Oh well, thank you for answering! Catch you all later!"

And with that, Kim walked off in the direction of the Dupain-Cheng bakery, his circlet shining like a spotlight in the sunlight.

"Gah, that reminds me how bright it is," Adrien muttered, blocking his eyes briefly, and placing his sunglasses on. "Ah. That's better... Marinette? What's wrong? Do I have something on my face?"

Marinette, however, was just caught in awe of the marvelous sight that was Adrien Agreste in dark shades. Oh God... as if that outfit wasn't already enough to make her swoon! The sunglasses were just the last nail in the coffin. She actually wasn't sure if she was going to make it through this.

"S-Sunglasses?" Marinette suddenly stuttered.

Adrien broke out into laughter - he thought Marinette had just punned! It uplifted him so much to think that!

(Of course he quickly had to reassure her it wasn't him making fun of her.)

"So, do you think Kim's gonna be with us at the bakery?" Adrien asked.

Oh yeah, Kim. "Eh, if he is, he won't be in the way of you and that chocolate chip cookie," Marinette said.

"Stop making me hungry!" Adrien laughed.

So, while Kim may technically become a "third wheel" on this "lunch date-of sorts, and only between friends", she didn't care.

She was going to spend it with Adrien, and her heart couldn't be happier.

What she didn't know was that Adrien thought the exact same thing... along with something else.

Being a rebel was starting to get fun.

* * *

**Where, oh where will Adrien's "rebellious" activities go? And where will they take him? We'll have to wait and see! ;D (and... could it lead to... an akumatization?)**

**And I know you guys are probably confused about Kim, so I'll try and clear some stuff up - I like to imagine Master Fu is still testing the waters with him (since he and Xuppu had that massive "fight" in the bathtub), so he still has the Miraculous. Kim will actually play a big role in this story too! ;)**

**In the meantime, though, that's all for now! Reviews are always welcomed and loved! Thanks for reading guys, I'll see ya soon! Love you all! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

Adrien was honestly on Cloud 9 the moment he stepped into the Dupain-Cheng bakery.

He hadn't really been able to visit for the bakery alone before - most of the time, it was to visit Marinette. And even then, that didn't happen that often, so this was a very special occasion to him. Being a bit rebellious was starting to get not just fun, but sweet and savory!

...Yeah, his Chat Noir puns were definitely better. Thankfully he didn't say that aloud.

The two then walked into the bakery, and Adrien held the door for Marinette (rebels could still be gentlemen!), causing her to blush and thank him generously. Kim was at one of the tables in the far corner, eating an embarrassing amount of banana bread...

Wait, he had _bought out the whole supply!_

"Marinette!" her mother said with a smile. "How has you day-oh my goodness, is that you, Adrien?! You look so... fantastic!"

"Aww, gosh... thank you, Mrs. Cheng!" Adrien beamed. "I figured I wanted to try a new look for today... and if its fine with you, I'd also like to purchase a chocolate chip cookie and a croissant."

"Oh, someone's being a bit naughty," Sabine winked, before laughing. "Don't worry, Adrien. Your secret's safe with us! And besides, you didn't buy out the whole stock of banana bread."

"That was a shocking move from Kim," Adrien laughed in agreement. "He normally doesn't even like bananas!"

"You think its the circlet?" asked Marinette.

"It definitely is behind something," Adrien said. "Marinette, do you want anything? I can cover it."

"Oh, you don't worry about that young man," Sabine smiled. "Friends and family discount. How do you think Kim got all that banana bread, anyway?"

Before Adrien could protest, Marinette had thanked her mom with a hug and cheek kiss and walked off, causing Adrien to follow her before anything else. They heard Kim talking to someone in the corner of the room...

Oh gosh.

Was Kim going_ insane?!_

Despite the fact that Marinette and Adrien both dealt with that exact situation quite often (talking to a kwami in public and seeming weird for it), it never registered in their minds that Kim would be a Miraculous wielder. It was actually one of the least likely scenarios to them.

Anyway, the two managed to find a nice, quiet seat to eat their lunches away from the public, and Adrien eagerly took a bite into the chocolate chip cookie, and let out a _very _pleasant groan at how good it was, before apologizing if he made Marinette feel uncomfortable with what he had just done.

Oh yeah, sure. Adrien Agreste groaning in pleasure making Marinette Dupain-Cheng upset. That's _totally_ something realistic.

"N-N-No!" Marinette stuttered, still a blushing mess. "D-Do you l-like the cookie?"

"Like it? Marinette, I'm convinced your parents' baking skills are heaven-sent," Adrien said. "This is literally the best cookie I've ever had!"

"I'm glad!" Marinette smiled. "Y-You deserve the best!"

Adrien didn't know how being a rebel had helped all of this to happen, but he knew it was helping a lot. This was quickly turning into the best day of his life in a long time... He'd definitely need to reward Plagg later!

"Marinette, honestly, I don't know why you complement me the way you do," Adrien beamed, "but I will say, it never fails to make me feel amazing. Thank you so much."

Right as Marinette was about to say something, Kim walked over, and he seemed to be particularly excited.

"Woah! Are you two dating?!" he exclaimed happily.

"Meep!" Marinette squeaked embarrassingly.

"W-What?" Adrien chuckled nervously. "No! This is just lunch. I-I j-just wanted to try a cookie and a croissant."

"Ah, I see," Kim nodded respectfully. "Well, I don't blame you! The Dupain-Chengs make the best bread in Paris. And I also don't blame you for wanting to take your lunch with Marinette - you two make a good duo!"

"Well, thank you, Kim," Adrien smiled, blushing slightly.

"No problemo!" Kim smiled. "Hey, do you all have any tips on how to burn these calories?"

"Wh-Why don't y-you t-try burning t-them by r-running round the sch-school?" Marinette stuttered; Kim had managed to make her thoroughly flustered in front of Adrien. Damn you, Kim! She still loved him like a brother, but sometimes he didn't know when to keep his mouth shut.

"Huh... good idea!" Kim smiled. "Thanks Marinette! Enjoy your lunch date!"

And with that, Kim bolted out of the bakery, and Marinette placed her hands over her head in embarrassment.

"Hey, its okay," Adrien smiled, reaching over and placing his hand on her shoulder softly. "Kim can be a total embarrassment sometimes, I know."

"Hmmm," Marinette hummed lightly, still not looking up.

"And, you know, for what its worth, he was right about one thing," Adrien smiled. Marinette looked up, finally feeling her blush cooling down, only for it to come right back when she heard Adrien's response.

"We do make a good duo."

Marinette nearly squeaked again, but managed to get a somewhat-warm smile out before she blabbered out some excuse to go to the bathroom. She raced upstairs, and instead went to her room, where she grabbed the nearest magazine she could find and began to fan herself in an effort to cool her face down.

"Marinette? Are you okay?" Tikki asked, floating out.

"Y-Yes Tikki! Peachy!" Marinette said. "Oh... literally. I'm as red as a rose. I just need to cool down, then I can go back down to Adrien. Gimme a sec."

"You do you, Marinette," Tikki smiled.

-0-

Adrien prayed this rebellious thing wasn't already going down the drain with Marinette abandoning him.

He suddenly found his thumbs a ton more interesting than the food, and looked down somberly. However, the second he saw those pink flats coming back down through the bakery, his nerves were calmed entirely, and his smile had returned completely.

"Are you okay, Marinette?" asked Adrien.

"Y-Yeah! Just needed to go use the restroom," Marinette said. "Nothing to worry about."

"Awesome," Adrien smiled.

"Oh... uhm, this is k-kinda weird," Marinette said, giggling lightly. "B-But... yo-you've got a little-"

"Oh, chocolate?" asked Adrien. "Can you get it? I've seen people do this on TV, the victim never gets it right."

Marinette giggled, and wiped her thumb over Adrien's face, and got the chocolate off, before wiping off her thumb on a napkin. "Thanks," Adrien smiled. "That hasn't happened to me in like, years!"

"Your model diet must suck," Marinette sighed.

"Well, its enough, but I try to sneak a snack whenever I can," said Adrien. "But _nothing _compares to this!"

Adrien then practically devoured the croissant, much to Marinette's amusement, and she continued eating her sandwich. When the two were done, Adrien thanked Marinette's mother for her hospitality at least five times, and Sabine was just amused and amazed by how polite Adrien could be.

However, one thing that neither of them noticed was the paparazzi cameras, that were all too happy to capture their every move from a safe hiding spot...

They also definitely were all over Adrien's new outfit.

And, of course, the pictures went pretty viral as soon as they were posted... and reached back to the one source that Adrien didn't want this to get back to.

* * *

_**4:30 PM**_

Adrien just knew this day was going too perfectly.

He knew, the very moment that his father summoned him, he was done for. Not only would he probably be grounded from going to school, but his extracurricular activities as well. He'd be lucky if he didn't get at least a week suspension from him... Plagg was trying to offer support (mainly by saying "You're being over dramatic!" and "Stop sweating it!"), but it really didn't help him.

When he finally opened the door to his father's office, Gabriel had his back to him, and was looking out the window. Nathalie was in the chair already taken, and Adrien moved over to the other chair.

"Sit down, son," said Gabriel.

Adrien quietly slipped down, and folded his hands together, and bit his lip in preparation for the worst.

"I caught a glimpse at those paparazzi photos," Gabriel said. "Tell me, please - are they real?"

"Yes, father," Adrien said softly. "I-I can explain-"

"Adrien, you know that you are quite too young for a serious relationship," Gabriel continued. "You are not ready for-"

"Woah, what?" Adrien said, raising his eyebrows. "I thought you were going to talk about my changed outfit. A-And no, no no! Me and Marinette aren't dating! She just invited me to have lunch with her today. People go with each other for lunch all the time at the College. Its just hanging out."

Gabriel then turned around, and he seemed calm... well, calmer than he would've seemed. Okay, that was a plus.

"Did you stray from your diet?" asked Gabriel.

_C'mon Adrien... you gotta tell a few lies if you wanna be a true... well, not a true rebel. But rather, a "rebel"... yeah. That's more like it._

"No, no I did not," Adrien said.

Gabriel studied Adrien's face carefully, but eventually, he nodded.

"Very well then," Gabriel nodded. "You look respectable, and that is what matters. That is all I wished to ask you about. You are dismissed."

"Thank you, father," the blonde said, before walking out of the room.

After Adrien left, Gabriel breathed a loud sigh of relief, leaned back in his chair, and rubbed his hands over his face. Nathalie looked up in concern. "Is something wrong, Gabriel?"

"No, Nathalie, everything is just perfect," Gabriel smiled. "Peachy, even! My son isn't turning into a teenage hooligan! He's not a rebel!"

"That's nice, Gabriel," Nathalie said.

-0-

Adrien whooped loudly as he fell face-first onto his bed, extremely happy that he was able to get away with being a rebel for a day! Sure, at some point his luck would probably run out at some point. However, for the time it was still with him, he'd use every bit of it to his advantage.

"That was a close one!" Plagg laughed.

"Dude, you have no idea!" Adrien exclaimed, laughing along with his kwami. "My father had his back to me! That only happens when _its about to go down!_"

"Yoooooo!" Plagg said, now in hysterics and relief that his kid could continue with his rebellious activities. "Alright, next step of being a rebel - wasting your money on something that he probably wouldn't approve of."

"PLAGG!" Adrien shouted. "How dare you try to get me to do drugs?!"

"What?! Hell no, kid, no!" Plagg exclaimed. "I mean something that costs a lot that you really want, but in reality, you could totally do without."

Adrien thought long and hard about what he could do to blow money on something he really didn't need... he could order a piece of a car that would serve literally no purpose other than for him to say "I bought a piece of a car for no reason". No, too stupid. He could buy an electric scooter! No, the paparazzi would say he'd get himself killed on it, for all he knew, and then he'd surely be finished.

Then, it hit him.

"Concert tickets!"

"There ya go, kid!" Plagg said. "Question is - whose concert ya gonna go to?"

"Well, as sad as it is, I don't think I could go to a Jagged Stone concert," said Adrien. "Kitty Section gigs, well, we'll get to that later. Let's see who's performing..."

And then, Adrien hit the actual jackpot.

Clara Nightingale was performing Friday night!

"Oh my gosh, this is literally perfect!" Adrien said.

"Kid, you just know how to finesse the system," Plagg smirked. "Soon, you'll be back on stage with Kitty Section, and eating what you like all the time!"

"Well, let's not get too ahead of ourselves," Adrien laughed.

"And also, you'll be as close to Marinette as you like," Plagg chuckled.

This made Adrien shoot up. "Wh-What do you mean by that?"

"Come on kid! Don't tell me you weren't _just adoring _spending a lunch break with her," the kwami chuckled. "You want to do it again. You wanna do it several more times - and without Kim's interruption! You wanna be alone with her, you wanna ki-"

"Shut up," Adrien said, walking off into his bathroom to hide from his kwami.

Plagg, meanwhile, was unimpressed.

Adrien had forgotten that kwamis could phase through solid objects.

Needless to say, Plagg happily tormented his charge with more sweet-talk about Marinette until Adrien practically yeeted cheese in his direction.

This rebellious stuff was fun!

* * *

**Next chapter, we're going to meet another little rebel... Any guesses? ;) **

**I hope you guys are enjoying this story! I can't wait to show you what happens next! :D Thanks for reading! See you guys soon! Love you all!**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Friday, 3:30**_

Kagami was currently sitting down on the bench after an intense fencing practice, gulping down her water at an incredibly greedy speed. Today had been an incredibly challenging day in fencing, and Adrien had once again rivaled her skills quite successfully.

Speaking of Adrien, he had just sat down next to her, and was panting quite heavily. "Hey, great job today!"

"Thank you," she said, wiping her mouth. "You did great too."

"Thanks Gami," smiled Adrien. "Hey, uh... could I ask you something?"

"Sure, what's up?" Kagami asked.

"So... I don't know if you've heard, but as of late, I'm trying to be more... like myself, like how I wanna be," Adrien said. "And... well, tonight, one of my favorite stars, Clara Nightingale, will be performing, and I was able to get two concert tickets. Well, obviously, I'm going alone, so..."

"Adrien... its a lovely offer," Kagami smiled, "but don't you have a girlfriend? Marinette? Why don't you go with her instead?"

"Wh-What?!" Adrien exclaimed. "N-No! Ma-Marinette's j-just a friend!"

Kagami chuckled. "Those paparazzi photos sure didn't make it seem like she was just a friend... you two were on the verge of holding hands in several of the photos."

Adrien cringed. _Damn those paparazzi photos!_

"A-Ah, Uh, w-well," Adrien stuttered. "GAH! I-I'm sorry Kagami... Marinette is a lovely person, she really is, but she's not my girlfriend."

"I see... well, if it is any condolence, you two would make a fantastic couple," smiled Kagami.

Adrien blushed madly, before clearing his throat to try and redirect the conversation. "So, uhm, you in?"

"Well... you know how my mother is," Kagami said, looking down, before looking back up and smirking. "In other words, I'm all in."

"Heck yes!" Adrien beamed. "See you tonight, Kagami! I'll text you the details, and I'll hold onto your ticket for ya."

"Thank you, Adrien," smiled Kagami. "See you tonight."

As the two walked their separate ways, however, Adrien couldn't shake one thing that Kagami had pressed him on... and he was wondering why it wouldn't leave his head.

Why was he so adamant about denying Marinette as his girlfriend?

Yes, she was a great friend of his, but... he wouldn't be so insistent that she wasn't his girlfriend for no reason, right? Oh, damn teenager hormonal confusion!

(was that even the right way of saying it?)

* * *

_**7:30 PM**_

Adrien had decided to go for a much brighter look for Clara's concert - he was wearing a pink sweater that he had only worn for one photo shoot, but he had always loved it. He was in jeans again, but this time he was wearing some pink sneakers to match his sweater. Don't judge him, he liked pink.

"How ya enjoying this 'rebel' thing, kid?" asked Plagg, smirking as he knew all it meant for him was more cheese, and his kid got more freedom as an added bonus. It really was a win-win-lose situation. The loser was Gabriel, of course.

"I gotta be honest," Adrien giggled, tying his shoe, "I've never felt happier! This whole thing is just... wonderful. Being a rebel is fun!"

"Hehe, you really are my charge," Plagg laughed. "Y'know, I liked to be rebellious in my younger days too..."

"Oh my gosh, you literally sound like a grandfather," Adrien laughed, putting his sunglasses into his pocket.

"TAKE THAT BACK!" Plagg yelled. "I'm as young as time itself!"

"M-hmm," Adrien nodded. "Alright, we gotta go get Kagami. Plagg, _**CLAWS OUT!**_"

Adrien was then transformed into Chat Noir, and he raced out of his room via the window as fast as he could - Clara's concert was in thirty minutes! He ran across the city at, well, as fast as a cat ran to get the catnip from its owner's hands.

He then made it to Kagami's complex, where he waited patiently in the lobby for her.

"Psst."

"JESU-Kagami?!" Adrien scream-whispered.

He really didn't recognize her - she was wearing a black leather jacket, jeans, a red top, and black flats to match, all along with a pair of sunglasses. She didn't look like Kagami at all, but he knew it was her.

"Flower boy approach?" she said, observing his look. "You stick out like a sore thumb. Nonetheless, you absolutely _rock _that look."

"Hehe, thanks!" Adrien smiled. "Ready to go? It shouldn't be a long walk to the concert."

"Let's go," Kagami nodded, walking closely by Adrien as the two stepped out of the complex building to head over to the concert.

However, along the way, Kagami got a call from none other than Marinette Dupain-Cheng herself. Adrien froze, remembering his earlier conversation with Kagami about Marinette, and fully expecting her to out him and his terrible attempt at hiding what might...

What might actually be a crush on her.

However, Kagami was merciful, and didn't bring it up - instead, it sounded like she and Marinette were planning on going to the music festival in front of the Eiffel Tower next Saturday. Kagami then ran out of mercy, and mentioned she and Adrien were currently headed to the Clara Nightingale concert.

To make matters worst, she then handed Adrien the phone, and asked him if he would like to speak to Marinette. Adrien nervously laughed, took the phone, and began to speak to Marinette.

"_Hi A-Adrien!_" Marinette said, seeming happy enough - okay, good start. "_H-How are you tonight?_"

"I-I'm good, thank you, Marinette!" Adrien smiled. "Hey, listen, I am so sorry that I couldn't invite you to the concert. I only got one free ticket, and Kagami was-"

"_Oh, d-don't apologize!_" Marinette giggled. "_You're perfectly fine! Kagami needs a rebel buddy anyway. You all have fun; send me a picture!_"

Adrien breathed a small sigh of relief, and smiled as he said his goodbyes to Marinette, wishing her well before handing Kagami her phone back, and then the blue haired girl hung up. "Well, that went well for you, didn't it?"

"S-Shut up," Adrien nervously whispered.

Kagami just smirked, and the two soon arrived at the concert. They got their seats, and Adrien pulled out his phone. "Rebels selfie?"

"Rebels selfie," Kagami nodded, smirking.

The two made rock and roll signs with their hands, and stuck their tongues out in an act of "rebellion". The two thought it was absolutely epic, and were proud of themselves for accomplishing such a feat. And right after the selfie, they noticed someone walking onto the stage... but it wasn't Clara Nightingale.

It was Frightingale.

"Hello all! Are we ready for tonight's ball?!" she exclaimed loudly.

"Crap," Adrien seethed.

He motioned for Kagami to follow him, and the two started making tracks over to one of the doors.

"HEY!" Frightingale exclaimed. "No exiting today!" She was pointing at two other occupants who were trying to escape from the building, all the while Adrien noticed an elderly person making their way out of the door he and Kagami were heading out. He grabbed Kagami's hand, and mad a mad dash for the door, and out of Frightingale's domain.

"We should wait outside," Adrien said.

"I'll be there in a moment," Kagami said. "I really need to go to the bathroom."

"Alright, just make sure Frightingale doesn't catch you," Adrien said. Kagami nodded, and when Adrien raced outside, Kagami headed off for the restrooms.

However, just before getting there, she noticed a familiar brown little box...

* * *

Adrien quickly sprinted out into the alley where he safely camouflaged himself with all of the surrounding junk, and quickly was able to transform back into Chat Noir, the black being a stark contrast to his pink sweater he just had on. And right as he was about to contact Ladybug, the hero herself came swinging down.

"M'lady?!" Chat exclaimed, both in shock and happiness. "What are you doing here?!"

"I was actually patrolling the area, and then I got notified via the LadyBlog that Frightingale was back," Ladybug said. "How about you?"

"Oh, I was here to watch Clara perform with a friend," Chat said.

"Really? A _friend?_" Ladybug smiled mischievously.

"Not like that, m'lady," Chat smiled. "You know my heart only belongs to..."

However, mid-sentence, Chat just... cut himself off. He really didn't know why, but it just seemed to happen. Ladybug seemed a bit confused, expecting him to make some romantic gesture she'd have to turn down... but nope. Chat was just frozen in place.

"Kitty? You okay?" Ladybug asked.

"O-Oh, huh? Y-Yeah! Just fine!" Chat smiled, giving a thumbs up. "Just-oh, look! Its King Monkey!"

"King Mon-HOLY SHEET!" Ladybug said, turning around and being scared out of her mind, because Monkey was literally just a half-foot away from her at that moment.

"Oh, sorry Ladybug!" Monkey said. "Didn't mean to scare ya! I just happened to see you swinging by my house, so I wanted to come and help out!"

"Well, we appreciate it," Ladybug said. "Oh-wait, Ryuko!"

Chat and Monkey looked back into the theater, and were both pleasantly surprised to see the dragon-themed wielder walking out to re-join the team. Ryuko had a smile spread across her lips, all too happy to be reunited with her superhero friends.

"Pleasure to meet you," Monkey smiled, extending his hand to Ryuko. "King Monkey. You must be Ryuko!"

"That I am," Ryuko said, shaking Monkey's hand. "Pleasure to meet you. I can't believe that on my first night of teenage rebellion, an akuma happens."

"Teenage rebellion?" Chat asked. "No way, that's what I'm doing too!"

Ryuko let a smile escape her lips at this - a fellow rebel. Nice. She had accompanied one here to begin with, and now she had another one!

"Let's go purify Frightingale, gang!" Ladybug exclaimed determinedly. And with that, the small gaggle of heroes ran into the theater to go fight Frightingale.

* * *

Surprisingly, when the four heroes entered through the door that Kagami and Adrien had narrowly escaped from moments ago, a spotlight fell right onto them - and Frightingale eagerly greeted the heroes with far too much enthusiasm to be considered sane.

"Welcome heroes, to tonight's show!" she exclaimed boldly, all non-frozen eyes in the audience turning to face the four. "Are you all ready to show off all the dance and rhyming skills you know?!"

"No, not really," Monkey said.

"What was that?" Frightingale asked. "Was that... not a rhyme, that I've just begat?"

"You are seriously weird," Monkey muttered again. "Let's shake things up a bit - UPROAR!"

Monkey activated his power, and jumped up on stage with Frightingale, tossing the squeaky banana toy right into her chest.

"The heck? You think that'll cause more than just a speck?" she asked, raising a brow.

It was right then and there that her powers began to go bonkers. King Monkey then charged forward and leaped right into center-stage to try and get into a fight with Frightingale and steal the akumatized object for Ladybug to de-evilize...

It didn't work out like that at all.

The moment Monkey stepped onto the stage, Frightingale tossed her whip's lash in his direction in her confused state, and froze him in place, causing his frozen pink form to fall back onto the floor.

Ladybug, Chat, and Ryuko all looked at his frozen form in shock.

"Uhm... okay then," Ryuko said. "Let's, uhm, let's not do that."

"Oh, my head!" Frightingale muttered, shaking off the Uproar's confusion. "I feel like I was just knocked dead! Oh, that reminds me - our heroes remain free! Come on up, don't be shy! I promise I won't freeze you; why would I lie?!"

The three heroes decided to get closer, just to see what would happen, and now stood in front of the akumatized rhyming and singing villain.

"I propose to a dance off you all!" Frightingale sang-said. "Winner gets to walk out of this hall!"

**_"What are you doing, Frightingale?! This is no time for such ridiculous tomfoolery! Get their Miraculouses NOW!" _**Hawk Moth told her telepathically.

"Ugh, you're just no fun, Hawkie!" Frightingale said sourly. "Always so impatient and gawky! Give me proper time, and I'll have them before my next rhyme!"

"Alright, play time's over," said Ladybug, stepping forward. "If its a dance off you want, its a dance off you'll get! LUCKY CHARM!"

Ladybug then summoned her Lucky Charm, which turned up none other than...

A skipping rope.

While Ladybug was just confused as to what the hell she could do with this thing, Ryuko stepped forward to challenge Frightingale to her dance off. "I call first dibs," she said firmly. "I've needed to loosen up my limbs lately, anyway..."

While Chat was just excited to see the dragon wielder have a dance-off with Frightingale, Ladybug's mouth dropped ever so lightly. Kagami? A dancer? It both fit the bill to the exact amount, and also shocked her completely to hear this.

Ryuko started off, doing a jig of some sort to the best of her ability; her last tap class was at nine years of age, cut her some slack.

Frightingale actually looked impressed by her dancing, but this impression quickly was dissipated, as she did a practically-perfect version of Ryuko's attempt at a jig.

"Bollocks," Ryuko muttered.

"Hey, Ryu?" Chat said, stepping forward. "Follow my lead, I've got an idea."

"Your idea being?" Ryuko asked.

Chat then started doing one of the most stupid hip-hop moves he knew, earning himself some stares from Ryuko, Ladybug, Frightingale, and the whole dang audience. He also had the feeling that King Monkey was watching him from his frozen shell.

And then, he passed it over to Ryuko.

"What?" she asked.

"C'mon, dance!" Chat said. "Or else she'll freeze you!"

"I'm not doing that," Ryuko said.

"Uh, hello?!" Frightingale said. "Where'd the dancer girl go? You were tapping away a moment ago! Where's all the footwork now, or are you just a no-go?"

Ryuko sighed, gave an eye-roll so dramatic that the whole audience felt it, and began to mimic Chat's stupid hip hop dance move. While Ryuko seemingly had Frightingale distracted, Chat motioned for Ladybug to move behind the akuma, and pointed at her feet.

Ladybug then caught onto what he was motioning towards, and smirked as she began to slyly move over. Chat had now joined Ryuko in the stupid hip hop dance move, and Frightingale was just staring in utter confusion.

"Honestly, what are you two trying to _do__?!_" she exclaimed. "You're like a cow that can't moo!"

"We're just distracting you, sweetie," Ryuko smiled, finishing in an epic pose with Chat.

At that moment, Ladybug threw the skipping rope around Frightingale's feet, and threw her to the ground as gently as possible, knocking her glasses right off her head.

"Here ya go, m'lady!" Chat smiled, tossing her the glasses.

"Thanks, kitty! And thank you too, Ryuko," smiled Ladybug. "You too, King Monkey! Even though you can't hear me..."

"My pleasure," Ryuko said happily.

Ladybug then began her usual purification process, ending as always with "MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!". Only a few things needed to be purified, since Frightingale didn't cause much chaos. A few statues were set free, including King Monkey, and Clara herself was set free of her akumatized form.

"Ugh... what?" she muttered.

"Pound it!" the three heroes said, with King Monkey joining last second.

"Oh my gosh!" Clara exclaimed. "Everyone, I-I'm so so so sorry! I must've gotten a bit upset backstage... I-I can pay for-"

"No, Clara, its okay," said Ladybug, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You actually caused the least chaos an akuma's ever caused; its okay. Continue on with your concert, and rock on!"

Clara smiled happily at the spotted hero. "Thank you Ladybug... you too Chat, and you as well Ryuko. And you to-OH MY GOSH, KING MONKEY?!"

"That's me!" Monkey said proudly.

"Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!" Clara said in excitement, "I'm like, your biggest fan! C-Could I get an autograph after the show?"

"Haha, of course!" Monkey beamed.

Ladybug, Chat, and Ryuko all looked at one another with amusement.

What a night...

* * *

**_9:30 PM_**

Adrien had just barely managed to sneak back into his house underneath the cover of darkness, and whooped in excitement as he fell back onto his bed, letting Plagg out of the ring and giving the kwami a high-five; well, to the best of his ability. He was absolutely wiped after the concert...

Mainly because, right after the first song, Clara recognized him and invited him on stage to sing with her; not just that, but it was a song about Ladybug! How crazy was that?!

"DUDE!" Plagg exclaimed. "THAT WAS AWESOME!"

"I know right?!" Adrien laughed, yawning out of pure exhaustion. "Oh my gosh, I am going to sleep well tonight... thanks for helping me out tonight, Plagg. You're the best."

"I know," Plagg smirked. "But for real though, kid, I'm glad you're happy. As long as you're happy, we can keep this going!"

Adrien smiled widely. "That would be awesome. I'd love that."

"And I've already got a new idea," Plagg smirked. "You know that music festival next Saturday? You should ask the Couffaines if Kitty Section's gonna perform. If so, _you go out there and perform with them._"

Adrien's shocked face turned into smirk ever-so slowly, and he was fully grinning before too long.

"Hell to the yes," he smirked. "Better yet - I can invite Marinette and Kagami to the festival!"

"There ya go, kiddo!" Plagg smiled. "That's the spirit!"

Adrien smiled again, and decided he would turn in early for the night.

He did, after all, have a long week of rebellious activity planning ahead of him!

* * *

**Lukadrien bromance fans are gonna love the next chapter... ;) ;) ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Saturday, in Adrien's bedroom...**_

Adrien had just gotten off one of the best phone calls of his life.

Not only had he gotten clearance from Luka (which the boy told him he didn't even need, and that he was one of the band!) to perform at the music festival, which was actually in two weeks, but he had also gotten word that they were heading down to the studio to start practicing their song today! Oh, joy - sneaking out was always thrilling, no matter what the cause!

"Dude, you've just gotten off the best phone call ever," Plagg said, "and you then went and ordered a thirty dollar life-size Mjolnir replica. You are _acing _this rebel stuff!"

"Thanks, Plagg!" Adrien beamed. "I'm honestly having so much fun with it too. Actually getting to hang out, getting to eat more of what I'd like to, and see Marinette more-"

"Woah, why's that one of the main ones?" Plagg asked, smirking. "Does somebody have a _cruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuusssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhh?!_"

"No, no, God no!" Adrien said, immediately blushing madly. "Marinette is just a friend. My very good friend. My very special, very wonderful, and very amazing-oh my God."

"Yes?" Plagg asked cheekily.

"Plagg... I-I think I have a crush on Marinette," Adrien whispered, so faint that it barely could be heard from a mere two feet away. "Oh. Oh no... Oh, gosh, how could I let myself seek after such an amazing girl like her?! She's way out of my league! She deserves to date someone way above-"

"Kid... you are amazing, but also, at times, stupid," Plagg muttered. "C'mon. A greasy pizza for lunch and a practice session with Kitty Section right after will take your mind off of it so that way I don't have to listen to you rambling on like ya would."

"Alright, fine," Adrien muttered. "But I'm still gonna ramble about it to you later."

"Long as its after lunch," Plagg shrugged off.

And with that, Adrien transformed into Chat Noir, and jumped out the window to go off and meet up with Kitty Section.

However, there was one thing that didn't stop nagging at his mind...

Why, and just _how _had he never noticed that he was starting to get feelings for Marinette?

-0-

Nathalie knew, the very moment Mr. Agreste summoned her to his office and claimed that this was urgent, that something was up with Adrien.

She had been around the boy long enough to know that _something _was up; but he was getting better and better at hiding it. He wasn't putting on any weight from junk food, and he wasn't coming home any later than normal (from what she knew of). All that was apparent was a certain change in his wardrobe as of late.

However, if his father or anyone else faulted him for that, they'd be considerably awful excuses for human beings.

When she got to Mr. Agreste's office, the Gorilla was also there.

Okay, _this was definitely serious._

"You wanted to see me? Erm, us?" asked Nathalie.

"Yes, please have a seat," Gabriel said, his voice oddly monotonous.

Nathalie sat down next to the Gorilla, who really didn't seem like he had a choice to be here. He always looked stoic as all hell, but today... he looked a bit worried. Like how he did when Adrien briefly went missing before Gigantian showed up.

"As you all might be aware, I have noticed a recent change in my son's behavior lately," Gabriel said. "And I am worried that he is getting involved in activities that he should not be getting involved in."

"SIR!" Nathalie exclaimed. "You couldn't possibly be implying you believe your son is doing drugs, are you?"

"What? I would certainly hope not! He would never see the light of day again if that were the case!" Gabriel exclaimed. Something about that threat sent a chill up her spine; she noticed as well that the Gorilla seemed to raise a brow at this.

"However... he is behaving differently," Gabriel continued, as if nothing had happened. "I am worried he is doing things that he believes will not go noticed, like visiting the Dupain-Cheng bakery and sneaking sweets in, or worse... making 'music' with those blasted Couffaine children. Horrible influences, they are!"

Nathalie didn't necessarily think so... Luka and Juleka, if she remembered their names correctly, seemed like good enough children. I mean, she dyed her own hair; it wasn't like that could be why he didn't trust them, right?

"Anyway, I would like you all to keep a closer eye on him, if you would," Gabriel said, his expression stiffening in a way that was never wanted to be seen by either of them. "I do not wish to have to confront him about this myself... you all know that would not be pleasant."

And without a word, Nathalie and the Gorilla knew that their time at the opposite end of Gabriel Agreste's desk was up, and they made their way out without a word said between them.

However... inwardly, both of them had made decisions after that conversation with Gabriel.

They weren't too drastically different either.

However, both of them were just giving themselves and each other pats on the back for successfully deriving Gabriel of any mention of Adrien being at Clara Nightingale's concert last night. God only knows what would happen if that were to reach back to him...

-0-

Adrien had just walked into the first recording studio room, where the rest of the Kitty Section band was waiting for him.

"Adrien!" Juleka smiled, hugging her friend. "Glad you could make it, dude!"

"Hehe, thanks Jule!" Adrien smiled, hugging her back. "Its good to see you all. Hey man, what's up!"

"Adrien, my guy," Luka said, high five-ing him. "Honestly, its great to have you back, man."

"Thanks Luka," said Adrien. "Its great to-OOF! H-Hey Rose!"

"Welcome back to the band, Adrien!" Rose said, happily hugging him like a constrictor boa.

"C-Can't breathe!" Adrien laughed lightly, and the small pink loving girl put him down as fast as she picked him up. He gave a wave to Ivan, who preferred using less words to communicate, and that was totally fine by him. He had a way of driving his point home without ever saying a word. "So, what song are we doing? Cover? One of our own?"

"Cover," Luka said. "Specifically, 'Don't Stop Me Now' by Queen."

"I love Queen!" Adrien smiled in excitement.

"Dude, they're amazing, right?" Luka beamed. "Brian May is like, my hero when it comes to guitar players. Well, tied with Jimi Hendrix."

"He has a lot of heroes in the guitar world," Juleka chuckled.

"Don't act like you don't have your bass idols too," Luka fired back good naturedly.

"Is this what its like to have a sibling?" whispered Adrien to Rose. "I'm kinda jealous..."

"Oh, you shouldn't be," Rose said. "I'm an only child too. I don't know how Alya survives with _three _siblings."

Adrien laughed at that, but inwardly, he did always wonder what it was like to have a sibling... however, thanks to the incident that had happened with Reflekdoll, and Juleka's passion towards becoming a model coming out, he had grown surprisingly close with the younger Couffaine. He still loved Luka, yes, but he had a special bond with Juleka - she truly felt like a sister to him.

(Plus, it wasn't like they gave each other romantic advice about girls or anything...)

Anyway, as the gang got ready to go through the song very slowly for their first practice session, Rose pulled Adrien up to the main mic.

"Adrien, I had an idea for our performance," Rose said. "But only if you want to do it!"

"Okay, what's up?" asked Adrien.

"Well... considering you've been gone from the band so long," Rose began, "would you, maybe, oh... I don't know... like to sing the lead at the music festival?"

"Wh-WHAT?! ME?!" Adrien exclaimed in shock. "B-But you all h-haven't even heard m-me sing!"

"I have," Juleka smirked, playing a low bass note. "Remember at your shoot Thursday? You started singing that song Jagged Stone wrote for Ladybug? Honestly dude, you've got a damn good voice. And I know singing - I come from a Pentecostal family."

"I've heard you sing before too," Ivan smiled. "And so has Luka. Remember when all the boys had that singing competition right before the party really kicked off?"

"Oh yeah, that's when Kim got on top of the piano!" Luka laughed. "Yeah, you've got a good voice Adrien."

"You only have to do it if you want to, though!" Rose smiled. "I can gladly join Jule on the backups and play my tambourine instead!"

Adrien sighed... he really didn't want to take this away from Rose, but then again, she had offered him the ability to. And he _did _always dream of covering a Queen song in front of a live audience.

"Oh, what the hell?" Adrien smiled. "I'll do it!"

"Oh, joy!" Rose said, hugging him again. This time, the rest of the Kitty Section got in on the hug, and made sure not to constrict Adrien this time.

"Alright, warm-up time," Luka said when the gang separated. "Kim? We good to go?"

"You guys are good!" Kim said from the booth.

"How does he keep popping up everywhere I go?" Adrien muttered underneath his breath.

"You eventually get used to it," Juleka assured him.

-0-

_**2:30 PM**_

Two hours of practicing.

Adrien had forgotten how difficult it could be to get notes perfect when going a bit faster! However, he thanked God for how patient his band-mates were with him during all of it, all glad to aid him with anything they could do to help. Eventually, they were able to get the song down pat at a slow pace, and would spend the rest of their practices slowly working up the tempo.

He couldn't believe how much fun it was either.

Anyway, he actually didn't get a chance to eat along the way, and so the gang all took a detour from their home paths to go to Pizza Hut for a big lunch to make up for the fact that none of them had eaten yet. Kim tagged along too, because he actually tolerated being in the booth for two hours.

They still had no idea how Kim knew exactly how to operate all of those buttons.

However, this was literally the last thing on their minds as gnawed down on three large pizzas per two people, talking about their plans for the music festival and if they would all be able to make it, and also talking about the other performers.

"You know, I heard a rumor that Jagged Stone's closing the night out," said Luka. "Wouldn't that be epic?"

"It would!" Rose nodded, taking a sip of her tea. "Kim, are you gonna make it?"

"I don't know, in all honesty," said Kim. "But - I did hear that King Monkey is gonna be there!"

Ivan snickered. "King Monkey... that dude's awesome. I hope he's there."

Kim smirked at that, going completely unnoticed by all of his surrounding party. "Adrien, are you gonna be inviting anyone to the festival?"

"Probably Marinette and Kagami," said Adrien. "You all know how sheltered Kagami is; that's why we sneaked out last night to go watch Clara Nightingale perform in concert."

"Yo, you all did that?" Juleka asked. "Mad..."

"Little rebels in training," Luka laughed, raising his glass of Pepsi. "So, you're inviting Kagami and Marinette?"

"Well, I couldn't not invite two of the most special friends in my life," Adrien smiled bashfully. "I actually think Marinette's parents are going too! At least, from what I heard in passing."

"Are you gonna invite her on stage to dance?" Rose suddenly asked.

Adrien nearly choked on his orange soda at this comment... the idea was nice, yes, but he was just caught completely off guard by it.

"O-Oh my God! Adrien, I'm so sorry!" Rose said.

"N-No, no no!" Adrien said, coughing violently. "I-Its fine! J-Just caught me off guard, that's all!"

However, even as he recovered from nearly choking to death on his orange soda, he did reflect on Rose's idea...

And maybe, just maybe, if he could sum up the courage... he could possibly pull it off.


	5. Chapter 5

It was a Friday night, eight days before the actual event, and Marinette was scrolling through Instagram on her bed when she found out about the music festival lineup - needless to say, she was already going, but now she had more than enough reasons to go altogether.

The main one being that Adrien was going to be performing with Kitty Section again.

The video she had watched had been a minute long clip of most of, if not all of, the performers being interviewed - among them were Clara Nightingale, Jagged Stone and Vivica, King Monkey (she had heard a rumor he would be playing Careless Whisper on a sax; she could not wait to see that), and Kitty Section. Sure, there were others, but she didn't really care for them like those previously listed. *cough* XY... *cough*

She had expected Kitty Section, yes...

But she hadn't expected Adrien to be back with them.

And seeing him in the band group, being interviewed for the upcoming festival, just made her heart flutter. She was so happy for him!

So much so, that she felt the urge to text him her congratulations... she had no idea where the sudden confidence boost came from, but she wasn't complaining.

-0-

Adrien was currently laughing his tail off.

Yes, it was 11:00 on a Friday night, but he had no dangers of waking anyone up; he was pretty sure his father's room was on like, the other side of the mansion anyway. There was no chance he would be heard. And the reason why he was laughing was because Plagg had convinced him to make a Twitter account - but not under his own name, and use it exclusively to talk like a crazy person.

Some of the things he said under that name... there was a very specific thing he had just tweeted that was making both him and Plagg cackle.

However, even though the two could hardly control their laughter, Adrien quickly stopped cackling the moment he read that he had received a text from his crush - Marinette.

"OH-Oh my gosh, Plagg, she texted me!" Adrien suddenly panicked. "She... she wants to congratulate me for being able to perform at the festival... Aww, that's so sweet of her!"

"Well, don't just sit there!" Plagg said, wiping his eyes from all the laughing. "Text her back! Ask her if she's going and if she wants backstage passes so you two can make out in the dressing room-"

"Th-that's enough, Plagg," Adrien stuttered, once again caught off guard at how blunt his kwami was. He did indeed text her back, and the conversation went something like this...

_A - Thank you Marinette! I'm so excited to be performing again! :) Will you be at the festival?_

_M - Of course I will! So will my parents! But we're looking for someone else to bring with us, and I already know everyone else in my class is going..._

_M - I would invite you but you're already going! lol_

_A - hahaha_

_A - Why not invite Kagami? She was able to sneak out for Clara's concert; she would probably love to go to the festival too!_

_M - Great idea! Thank you Adrien! I'll be sure to invite her tomorrow; I can't wait to see you and the rest of the gang on stage next weekend!_

_A - Thanks again Marinette! You're so cool. :D _

_M - *three blushing happy emojis*_

Adrien sighed, putting his phone down on his chest in happiness. "Well, that went about as well as it could've gone."

"Kid, in my books, that went flawlessly," Plagg said. "Start giving yourself a little more credit for these things! Its not being cocky - its being confident. Its okay to give yourself a little pat on the back every now and then!"

"I know - but what if it goes to my head?" asked Adrien.

"Well, I'll smack you back into check," said Plagg firmly, smiling confidently. "You don't need to worry about a thing when you've got me by your side!"

Adrien chuckled. "Yeah, sure I don't..."

"Okay, fine, maybe you need to worry about the cheese stocks drying up under mysterious circumstances," Plagg agreed, "but apart from that, you're all good!"

Adrien smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow Plagg; get a good sleep, alright?"

"Will do, kiddo," smiled Plagg. "G'night."

As Plagg cuddled up to Adrien's Mjolnir replica that had finally arrived, he happily fell asleep... but not before hearing something very funny.

Adrien actually _moaned _Marinette's name in his sleep!

-0-

_**Next morning...**_

Adrien knew that there was a practice session with the band that morning, so he woke up bright and early to get himself prepared for what would be one of the last times Kitty Section would be able to practice together before the music festival. He and Juleka were gonna head to the mall to grab some last minute prep items for the concert, and then head over to Marinette's for some snacks before heading home.

He had a busy Saturday ahead of him!

"Want my suggestion?" asked Plagg. "Leave the hair messy for the concert."

"Why?" Adrien asked, his mouth full of toothpaste.

"Because, as Jagged Stone would say, it would look _very _'rock n' roll'!" Plagg smirked. "And besides, you're gonna be dancing around on stage, and playing the piano at speeds that would make Beethoven or Scott Joplin vomit. You're not gonna have perfect hair that day, dude - might as well embrace it."

Adrien shrugged. "Fair enough," he said, spitting out the toothpaste and rinsing his mouth out. "Now, what to wear..."

"Black leather jacket is a must," Plagg said, following Adrien as he walked out of the bathroom and over to his closet. "Why are we planning all this stuff now, anyway? The festival isn't for another week."

"I just wanna make sure I'm prepared!" Adrien said, pulling out the jacket so he could place it in a secure place for next Saturday.

"Kid, the concert won't even start until like, three that day," said Plagg. "There's a reason its called a _festival _and not a _concert_!"

"Not helping," Adrien said underneath his breath. "Okay, what pants should I wear then?"

"Black leather, definitely," said Plagg. "You wanna do Freddie Mercury justice, don't you? And plus, its a good Chat Noir-like feel, no?"

"Yeah, definitely," Adrien nodded. "Okay... shirt we're gonna get at the mall... now, what for the shoes?"

Plagg gave him a look.

"Black, okay," Adrien chuckled. "Alright... that should be just about everything! Let's go practice."

"Uhm... are you forgetting something?" Plagg smirked.

Adrien looked around, and then down - he was only in a bathrobe. Adrien Agreste going to the music studio in a bathrobe and likely nothing else would surely make international headlines, and probably result in his father looking for ways to banish him to the dark side of the moon. ...Okay, maybe that was over-exaggeration, but still.

He hastily threw on some clothes that looked good enough to him, and walked up to his window to transform and head out...

But the literal second he reached for the lock to open the window, he heard a knock at his door.

"_Son of a bitch,_" he whispered. "Plagg! Hide!"

Plagg took cover underneath Adrien's leather jacket which - oh crap - was still sprawled out on the bed!

"C-Come in!" Adrien said, trying to sound more confident than he actually felt.

His nerves were calmed a bit when he heard high heels walking into the room, and recognized the sound of the voice as Nathalie's - but he still had his back turned to her, and was still facing the window.

"Adrien?" she asked; oh good lord, he could already feel it coming. "Just what do you think you are doing?"

He cringed so hard he could feel his skeleton receding back into atoms.

"Uhh... le-letting in some fresh air?" he weakly offered, turning around with a scared smile.

She started tapping her foot impatiently, looking at him with a stern look. He just knew this was it - the end of his streak of good luck. The end of his rebellious activities. Hell, this may be the end of him!

"Okay... I was going to sneak out," he admitted, looking down.

"For what?" Nathalie asked.

_Well, that wasn't what he expected... but still, he couldn't exactly get out of this, _he thought. _Might as well come clean._

"You know that music festival next Saturday?" Adrien asked, feeling like a ball of paper being crumbled up as he confessed all. "Well, my friends - Kitty Section - invited me to come and perform with them. We've just been going down to the recording studio, and going to eat afterwards - that's all we've been doing, I swear on my life! Please don't kill me!"

Nathalie raised an eyebrow at this, and then her expression softened. She could hear the fear in Adrien's voice as he prepared for what he thought to be the worst. It caused her to feel sorry for Adrien... she knew he was a good young man. He wasn't lying here.

She walked over, and placed her hand on his shoulder in an effort to establish closeness. (She wasn't good at this stuff, she knew.)

"Your father may have a very bad disdain for the Couffaine children," she said, "but I do not. And as far as I'm concerned, as long as your not doing anything that will result in you being harmed or endangered... how long have you been on this 'rebellious' streak of yours?"

"Around two weeks, maybe?" Adrien said softly.

Nathalie smirked. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little impressed at that... and, evidently, you haven't gained an ounce of fat since you've started your streak. Can I entrust that you will still eat healthy when you can?"

"O-Of course, Nathalie!" Adrien nodded excitedly. "I already do! I-I do-don't eat a lot of junk food, I mostly just stop by Marinette's parent's bakery every now and then... and sometimes, I do it just to see her."

Nathalie couldn't prevent herself from smiling at that; did the young Agreste have a crush already?

She then sighed, and prepared herself to be showered in affection - she knew Adrien well enough to know that he loved to thank people. She wasn't used to this, so she had to take a deep breath.

"If you promise me that you will manage to keep your physique, and do absolutely nothing - I repeat, absolutely _nothing! _\- that would put you in harm's way," said Nathalie. "I'll... I will see what I can do to ensure your father never hears about this."

Adrien let out a faint gasp, and then - just as she expected - caught her in a tight hug. She nearly fell over from the trajectory at which Adrien hugged her at.

"Oh my gosh, thank you so much! Oh Nathalie, thank you so much!" he said, lifting her up and spinning her around.

"A-Adrien!" she exclaimed, still caught off guard by his strength - so that's how Adrien burned off the calories, he must be going to the gym! Well, there was that mystery solved. She did hope, though, that he wasn't putting himself through too much to keep his shape.

"O-Oh, I-I'm sorry," Adrien said timidly, placing her back down on her feet.

"Its fine," Nathalie said, composing herself. "You promise me you will keep yourself safe and in shape?"

"Nathalie, after today, I won't ever say no to you again," Adrien smiled. "Thank you so much! How can I ever repay you?"

Nathalie gave him a gentle smile; one of the biggest she had given anyone in a long time. "You can thank me by not getting caught." And with that, she turned on her heel, and exited Adrien's room as quietly as she arrived.

Adrien, meanwhile, hollered and whooped in joy. He had literally no idea how that happened, but he was so thankful it did happen.

And he never felt more free than how he felt on that day, soaring through the wind, knowing that someone had his back in all of this. It was... it was amazing.

-0-

_**1:30 PM**_

Adrien and Juleka, who had just finished their practice session with the gang about twenty minutes ago, were heading to the tailor store to see the finished designs for their Kitty Section t-shirts that they would all be wearing to the festival on Saturday. The designs had been sketched up by Marinette, and this was actually Vivica's day job, so they were able to get it done nice and easily.

"Man, I can't believe how awesome of a designer Marinette is," Adrien marveled, looking at the design one more time as he and Juleka waited on Vivica to get the shirts out of the back. "Seriously, is there anything she _can't _do?"

Juleka was smirking at him as he went on.

"And also-wait," he said. "Wh-Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I know that look, Adrien," Juleka said. "You don't just think of Marinette as a great designer, do you?"

Adrien looked down at his feet in embarrassment. "That obvious, huh?"

"You'd be surprised," said the goth girl. "Rose, Luka, and Ivan still haven't put it together. But the way you've been buttering her up lately when she's not around has just been too coincidental to ignore. Look, all I'll say is... love changes you, dude. In ways you don't expect it to."

"I'm just glad you and Rose finally hooked up," Adrien chuckled.

"You and Marinette would make a great match, that's all I'm saying," Juleka said with a gentle smile. "And... I'd suggest watching the song we're gonna perform for the finale of the concert on youtube."

"What is it? And we're with Jagged Stone for the finale?!" exclaimed Adrien.

"'Dancing In The Dark' by Bruce Springsteen," she smiled. "There was a reason it was our warm up. Just watch the video until the end, you'll see. And yes, we are performing with Jagged, Vivica, Clara Nightingale, and King Monkey; and I'm like, eighty percent sure my mom's gonna be up there too."

"W-Wow..." Adrien whispered. "Oh, hey, speaking of Vivica!"

"Alrighty guys, here you go!" smiled Vivica, handing Adrien the box of t-shirts. "These look so amazing! Oh my gosh, you guys are gonna look so cool in these."

"Thanks Viv," smiled Juleka. "We'll see you next week!"

"Bye guys!" Vivica said, waving as the two walked off.

"Alright, you know we're going to Marinette to model these for her, right?" Juleka asked.

"Yep," Adrien nodded. "Let's hope my newfound crush on her won't make me redder than Mars..."

"It probably won't," Juleka said. "But if we take a group pic, you two are totally going together."

"Not helping."

-0-

Marinette currently had her back turned to her trapdoor. The entire Kitty Section band had come over about fifteen minutes ago, and they were all getting ready to show off their t-shirts with her design on them. She couldn't deny that this was a very nerve-racking moment... she was experiencing similar feelings to when she designed Jagged's album cover.

These designs were gonna be in front of a thousand plus people at the festival!

"We're ready!" Luka called from downstairs.

Marinette then walked downstairs, and she saw her parents turn their eyes back onto the gang. They both gasped, and Marinette couldn't help but feel a sense of pride at that sweet logo.

"Oh my gosh!" Sabine said. "Sweetie, these are _gorgeous!_"

"You've done so well!" Tom added. "And you all absolutely, haha, _rock _that look!"

Adrien and Rose burst out laughing at that, Juleka and Luka laughed as well, and Ivan let out a wide smile and a small chuckle. Marinette, meanwhile, eye-rolled and let a small giggle escape. She would probably hear more of those in a little while, should an akuma appear...

"Mrs. Cheng?" Adrien asked, taking out his phone. "Would you mind getting a group photo of us?"

"Oh, not at all!" smiled Sabine, taking the phone and putting it in camera mode.

"Hey, Marinette, come get in this!" Rose piped up. "You designed them! You deserve to be in this too!"

"Oh, I don't know..." Marinette said, sheepishly rubbing her head.

"Nonsense," Ivan smiled. "C'mon, get in the photo with us!"

Marinette caved, and walked over - Juleka opened up the spot between her and Adrien. Of course she did. (the little wink she gave to Adrien went unnoticed, thankfully.)

The two seemed to blush ever so lightly at being so close with one another, but they were able to smile as wide as ever for the camera once it flashed. "Oh, perfect!" the baker woman smiled. "You all look absolutely stunning!"

"We'll be at the festival to support all of you!" Tom said with a thumbs up.

"Thank you all so much," Luka beamed. "We really appreciate it."

And with that, the children all began chatting about various things related to the concert, but everyone was very careful to not mention that Adrien would be singing...

Because they knew Marinette's face when she saw that would be _priceless._

* * *

**Next chapter's the music festival itself! This story's almost coming to a close! :D I hope you guys have enjoyed it so far, and will continue to do so over the next three or so chapters! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

_**11:00 AM, Saturday**_

Adrien had never felt more nervous than how he felt when he stepped foot into the car to go to the Dupain-Cheng bakery, in preparation for the music festival.

And it wasn't because he was with Nathalie and the Gorilla, no; he actually felt very secure and safe with them. It was the concert he was nervous for. Yes, he had been on the catwalk multiple times in his early modeling career, but that was for eighty people at a time, max. He would be performing in front of at least a thousand people here today. You can see the stark contrast there.

"Adrien?" Nathalie asked.

"Yes, Nathalie?" Adrien smiled nervously.

"Two things - one, why did you... bring _that?_"

Adrien looked down at the floorboard, and nearly cracked up when he saw his Mjolnir replica sitting down there. If it was the real thing, the car would've broken down back at the mansion (he guessed).

"I just had a feeling it may come in handy today... I don't know why, to be honest," Adrien said.

"Fair enough," Nathalie nodded. "And two - are you sure you're gonna be able to make it through this?"

"O-Of course!" he said, trying to sound more confident than he was. "W-Well... I-I guess I am nervous. I mean, I've never performed in front of a live audience before!"

"That's perfectly understandable," Nathalie said calmly. "Oh, one more thing - would you like us to escort you and your friends to the concert?"

"That... that would be so gracious of you two," he smiled widely. "If they're fine with it, yes, that would be wonderful."

Nathalie saw the Gorilla gently smile from his spot in the driver's seat. She was glad that Adrien could finally have some people behind him; it was about time he had some supportive adults in his life, at least in her mind.

Before long, and with occasional small talk made along the way, the sleek car pulled up to the Dupain-Cheng bakery.

"You're bringing four people, correct?" asked Nathalie.

"Yep!" Adrien nodded.

"Alright then," Nathalie said. "Come back out in ten minutes, tops - please. We will need to be at the festival within thirty."

"You got it, Nathalie," Adrien beamed. And with that, he headed inside the Dupain-Cheng bakery to greet his friends.

-0-

Well, _this _was certainly a surprise!

Not only were his band mates and Marinette's family there, but Kagami was also there. And believe it or not, King Monkey was snacking on some banana bread at one of the tables! It was like a little gathering was going on in the bakery, and to be honest, Adrien couldn't ever enjoy it more than now.

"Adrien!" Juleka smiled, hugging her friend to welcome him in. "You ready for today, man?"

"I'll try my best, Jule," laughed Adrien. "Guys! How are you all?"

"Even better, now that you're here," Luka smiled.

"Oh, this day is gonna be fantastic!" Rose chirped happily. "This festival will be fantastic!"

"You look really good in that shirt," Kagami observed.

"Oh, you can thank Vivica for tailoring them," Adrien said happily, looking down. He did have to agree - it looked great on everyone who was wearing it! "I'm glad you like it! It was designed by Marinette, actually."

"No wonder," Kagami said, "anything she does always comes out magnificent."

Marinette, meanwhile, was a blushing mess at overhearing all of these complements. Especially from two people she adored so much!

"Let's head on out, guys," Ivan said, checking his watch. "We've gotta be there soon. Thanks for letting us stay here, Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng!"

"You all are very welcome!" Sabine smiled happily. "Put on a good show!"

"Rock and roll kiddos!" Tom added, waving goodbye.

Every member of Kitty Section gave their thanks to Tom and Sabine for being so hospitable towards them, and waved goodbye to everyone else in the bakery. King Monkey waved bye, but he was so focused on his banana bread that he almost forgot to. Oh, King Monkey...

The five kids then piled into the backseat of the Gorilla's car, nearly constricting themselves in the process; thankfully, Rose had the genius idea of sitting in Juleka's lap. That gave them all some breathing room.

"Hey... w-why is there a Mjolnir replica in the floorboard?" Luka laughed. "I mean, not trying to be rude! But like... you don't see that every day, y'know?"

"Oh, I bought that," Adrien giggled. "I don't know why. It was late, and I'm thirty dollars poorer, but it was worth it."

"Dude, that's so cool," Juleka chuckled. "You gonna keep it handy in case Hawk Moth shows up?"

"Honestly, didn't even consider that," Adrien said, "but now that you mention it - sure, why not?"

And with that, the four band members kept themselves plenty busy with a pleasant conversation until they made it to the music festival, where all five of the children thanked Nathalie and the Gorilla for bringing them, as they stepped out (Adrien was carrying Mjolnir, yes) to head backstage and get ready for the festival.

Meanwhile, Nathalie couldn't help but ponder over Juleka's comment...

Would Gabriel actually have the heart to be a party crasher, and show up to the festival as Hawk Moth?

-0-

Gabriel was in the middle of harvesting butterflies in front of Emilie's glass coffin when he felt his phone start to blow up.

Well, with notifications, that is; if his phone was beginning to literally blow up in his pocket, this would be cause for concern. However, the notifications he was getting were all from Twitter... and they were about Adrien. He was at the music festival.

Now this nearly caused him to want to blow his phone up...

So, his son _was a rebel! _Adrien Agreste, a teenage hooligan!

Well, he certainly wouldn't be after this!

"NOOROO!" Gabriel boomed angrily, tearing his ascot off so fast that it almost burned through his collar. "DARK WINGS, RI-"

"Master!" Nooroo squeaked.

"What is it, Nooroo?!" Gabriel bellowed.

"W-Would it truly be wise to go to the festival as Hawk Moth? And punish your son there?" Nooroo asked timidly. "Surely that would give your identity away to him, and not only would he grow emotionally distant, but he'd likely never want to see you again! I-I'm just speaking honestly here..."

Gabriel pondered for a moment...

What Nooroo was saying made sense.

Punishing his son as Hawk Moth was indeed a catastrophic idea; how did he ever even imagine that? That was, as Chloe Bourgeois might say, "Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!". Second, this would probably lead to his own son being the reason for his downfall, and that would simply never do.

However...

It did give him an idea.

"Thank you for correcting me, Nooroo," smiled Gabriel ominously. "That would have been a foolish move on my part indeed... but I am still going to the festival."

"Sir, I don't think it would be-"

"Hush now!" Gabriel said. "I'll be the grand finale... and if I get lucky, I might be able to bring back one of my better akumas. But it will require incredible luck, I will admit. However, I am up to the task. We leave at six, Nooroo!"

"Yes Master," Nooroo sighed.

And with that, Gabriel's grandiose plan was put into motion...

All he was counting on was a certain fan of his son's getting upset.

-0-

**_2:50 PM_**

After two - nearly three - hours of prep, walking around the festival with what limited free time they had, and getting stage makeup applied, the entirety of the Kitty Section band was ready to get out on stage and perform. Only one problem remained, however... they weren't due on stage for another fifteen minutes.

"Ugh, this waiting is getting boring," Rose muttered, leaning against Juleka's shoulder. "I wanna get out there and smack my tambourine!"

"I don't blame you," Luka muttered. "How much longer we got, Ivan?"

Ivan checked his phone. "Fifteen minutes, or around that."

Adrien got up, stretching and popping his back. "I need to go to the bathroom before we get out there. Text me if something changes, please."

"Will do dude," Juleka saluted.

Adrien then walked off to the bathrooms, and along the way, he saw several other stars - Clara Nightingale, Jagged Stone and Vivica, King Monkey - among others, and ones he really didn't care to mention. Main one was XY, but hey, he was only doing one song. At least the audience wouldn't be tortured for too long.

However, along the way, he ran into someone... familiar...

"Master Fu?!" Adrien scream-whispered in surprise. "What are you doing here?!"

"Hello, Adrien!" Master Fu said with a smile. "I have come to support you and your friends! I do love a good music festival; it helps me relive moments I never saw."

Adrien nodded. "Well, its good to see you nonetheless! I hope you enjoy all that the festival has to offer today."

"I'm already on my third stick of cotton candy; I'm having a whale of a time!" Master Fu said, picking up his cooler and walking off with a smile after saying farewell and good luck to Adrien.

"What a guy..." Adrien smiled. Master Fu was one heck of a Guardian, that's for sure.

Adrien then used the bathroom, and when he came back, he arrived just in time to see King Monkey talking to the other members of Kitty Section.

"And then I-hey, Adrien!" King Monkey said, waving him over. "You ready for the show?"

"Hope so," Adrien nervously chuckled.

King Monkey gave him a thumbs up. "You'll do just fine! Oh, that's my cue; good luck, you guys!"

And with that, King Monkey walked out to begin his introduction to the music festival. The five members of Kitty Section were all pretty much equally nervous; they had performed in front of small crowds before, yes; nowhere near this amount of people, however!

-0-

"How's everyone doing today?!" King Monkey asked excitedly, fully soaking in the ecstatic screams and cheers of the happy Parisians on this lovely day. He could even spot Marinette and Kagami in the crowd!

He had a feeling Adrien would enjoy seeing those two so up close...

"Great, great! Wow, you all are excited!" he laughed happily. "Well, anyway, we have obviously got a great show for you today, folks! Now, I'm not gonna lie... we got some pretty big names her today! You've probably heard of a lot of them... but we're gonna start off with one you might not have. Now, hopefully, this upcoming performance will change that! Because honestly, they deserve to be known across Paris, and across France, and beyond! At least, in my mind."

Juleka gave a supportive pat on Adrien's shoulder, and he responded by giving a thumbs up.

"Please, ladies and gentlemen," King Monkey continued, "GIVE IT UP FOR KITTY SECTION!"

A thunderous applause commenced out of excitement at this new band which a large portion of the crowd had not heard of before.

When the crowd saw that Adrien Agreste was part of said band, it got even louder.

They all flashed the rock n' roll symbol with their hands, walking out with huge cheesy smiles adorning their lips. Ivan jumped up to the drum kit, Rose and Juleka got ready at their shared mic, Luka strapped on his guitar, and Adrien sat down at the huge grand piano.

He took a deep, shuddery breath... gosh, he was so nervous.

"Adrien!" Rose whispered.

He turned to look at Rose, and then, she and Juleka blew a kiss at him together. He then looked at Luka, who flashed a rock n' roll sign, and Ivan gave him a thumbs up. Tiny gestures went a long way with him; he already felt so much better!

He cleared his throat, and somehow, that got some cheers, which caused him to giggle.

How did people even work?

"Alright..." he thought. "Let's do this."

"_Tonight... I'm gonna have myself... a real good time,_" he sang slowly.

Hearing Adrien Agreste sing was something the public was very curious about; finally hearing it set something off. The whole crowd, or at least a large portion (particularly the girls) screamed in admiration of his voice. The band had heard it all before, but all four members couldn't help but smirk at how much fun he seemed to be having already.

He continued on through the intro to the song, and kept his eyes shut... this was just helping him cope with being on stage. He'd open them in a moment, but for now he needed to get used to the environment around him.

And he didn't see it...

But Marinette and Kagami were both more amazed than anyone else in the crowd.

And then, he got through the introduction.

That's where the real fun began.

Feeling a sudden burst of energy, he kicked back his seat, shot up like a cat, and sang with all of his heart.

This was gonna be fun.

-0-

"Ah de dah, ah de dah hah ah...!" Adrien drawled out, singing the very final lyrics of the song with all the strength he had left in his lungs.

And then, he pressed the final keys.

When he did, the whole entire crowd jumped to their feet in applause.

Adrien turned to face the crowd, sucking in a deep series of breaths as he took this all in... they were all cheering for the band, he thought. He didn't want to think that they were cheering for him; it sounded cocky that way, at least to him it did.

But then, he saw Marinette...

She looked so happy. So supportive. He didn't know if it was physically possible to radiate support, but she was doing it. Kagami was right there with her, and so were Marinette's parents. Knowing they were proud of him, seeing it on their faces... it pulled on his heartstrings.

He didn't realize it at first, but as he stood back from the piano and laughed out of pure shock at the reception, happy tears began to fall from his cheeks.

It was at this moment that, suddenly, his band mates surrounded him, screaming their support and happiness and pride to him as they all hugged him in between themselves. Kitty Section was now bouncing up and down out of joy and happiness on the stage, all giving their utmost love and support to Adrien - he had been gone from the band for far too long at this point.

Some of the audience had been moved to tears by the performers themselves - Marinette and Kagami were two of them.

Marinette was just so happy for Adrien... he was getting some freedom, at long last! She couldn't imagine all the emotion he was feeling right now. She truly did love him, whether he reciprocated that love in the same way or not. Kagami, meanwhile, was just so proud of her best friend... her closest friend. She honestly could care less about her emotions right now. Adrien was happy, she was happy, Marinette was happy.

This was good...

And then, the crowd began chanting one word.

Encore.

The group, having gotten all of their emotions out, turned to face this massive crowd. They wanted more...

Luka stepped forward, and giggled happily into the mic. "What's that?! _More?_"

He turned to face the band, who all gave him a nod of agreement. "Alright... if you all insist!"

As the gang got back to their instruments, once again, they performed their hearts out... Kitty Section, after this, would become a commonly known band across Paris.

_(Especially after poor Adrien accidentally sang the original lyrics and called himself a "sex machine" instead of what he intended to, "crazy man"... at least the faces were comical!)_

-0-

_**6:00**_

What a music festival this had been...

Okay, just a quick breakdown of events: After Kitty Section's breakthrough opening that engraved them in Paris' music scene forever, XY had come out and barely even gotten a respectful applause with his electronic-doodads. However, after that, Clara Nightingale had sung a few songs, and even did a spectacular tap dance routine that no one saw coming. Like, literally, it came out of nowhere.

She continued dancing as King Monkey came out with his saxophone, and the two did a duet to "Careless Whisper" by George Michael.

It may have been the strangest, yet greatest, musical mashup that anyone had seen.

After that, the highlight of the concert - at least, what was intended to be, because even the artists themselves said that the opening blew what they had planned out of the water.

Jagged Stone and Vivica.

Granted, the performance was still absolutely _rock n' roll! _The two did several of their own songs together, and even did a cover of Jagged's all time favorite song, "Johnny B. Goode" by Chuck Berry. It really was, truly, rock n' roll.

The two took up the majority of the concert, their performances constantly continuing longer than expected because of improvised guitar riffs. However, they were soon finished, and a few more respected artists came out to perform their songs. Most notably was Anarka Couffaine herself, who performed a mesmerizing synthesizer solo.

And now, a select few of them were gathered backstage, waiting for the cue from the stage producer to come on out for the grand finale of the show. They were: King Monkey, Clara Nightingale, Anarka, Jagged Stone, Vivica, and Kitty Section.

And Adrien had one set goal in mind.

Invite Marinette onto the stage to dance...

If he played his cards right, he'd be able to pull off what Bruce Springsteen was able to in his music video; granted, that was staged, but still impressive.

"Adrien, buddy! Are you ready?" Clara asked him excitedly.

"Sure am, Clara!" Adrien beamed, giving her a thumbs up.

"Rock n' roll, little dude!" Jagged smirked. "Noticed you've been taking a small fancy to my favorite designer girl, Marinette lately... as rock n' roll as that is, that doesn't mean I won't cause you to mysteriously vanish if you hurt her!"

Adrien chuckled nervously, and nodded. Clara, meanwhile, was flabbergasted; her Ladybug and Chat Noir might be dating soon!

Suddenly... someone walked onto the stage.

"Hey wait..." Vivica said, squinting. "Th-That's not any of our people, right?"

"I'd recognize that spandex!" Anarka observed.

Adrien, meanwhile, felt a chill at seeing the person walk on stage...

That wasn't any artist...

_That was Hawk Moth._

* * *

**Ooh! Exciting cliffhanger! :D Good news: Chapter 7 is already finished, and will go up tomorrow! I guarantee you all will love it. ;) :D **

**Thank you guys so much for reading this chapter! See you in the next one :D Love you all!**


	7. Chapter 7

"Guys, guys, follow me!" Adrien scream-whispered, leading the band of band members to one of the backstage lounges so that they all could hide safely during the attack. However, as he was turning away, he noticed someone else stepping onto the stage as Hawk Moth began to monologue...

Party Crasher.

Aka, the closest call in the history of close calls when it came to Hawk Moth getting the Miraculouses. Had it not've been for King Monkey, who had already split from the group, the war would've been lost. Adrien, like earlier, took to the bathroom for shelter.

"Hawkie decided to crash the concert? What an ass hat!" Plagg said once he and his charge were safely hidden. "And right as it was wrapping up too!"

"I couldn't agree more," said Adrien. "Let's let him know its rude to show up uninvited! PLAGG, _**CLAWS OUT!**_"

Adrien was then transformed into his black cat alter-ego, and he immediately began to crawl slowly over to the front stage area - he could hear Hawk Moth yell that he only wanted Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculouses, and that if the people didn't want to witness their defeat, they may leave.

That was just a tad insulting to him.

However, what wasn't insulting to him was that he ran into his Lady on the way! "Milady!" Chat smiled, keeping himself low to the ground. "Glad to see you at this lovely festival!"

"You too, chaton," Ladybug smiled. "I wasn't expecting Hawk Moth to crash it, though... frankly, its quite rude of him to do so."

"Tell me about it!" Chat sighed.

"That makes three of us," someone else said, walking up - King Monkey.

"Hello, King Monkey," another voice said. Ryuko then walked up to the team, and the squad that had taken down Frightingale 2 was reunited once more. Hooray! "Ladybug, Chat Noir. I'm quite angry at Hawk Moth for ruining the festival... I was having so much fun too."

"We all were," King Monkey said dryly. "But now, we've gotta go do our jobs. Bummer."

"Why is that a bummer?" asked Ladybug.

"I was emceeing this thing, and I played some George Michael on a saxophone," King Monkey sighed. "I had a great finishing punchline too!"

"You can make puns with me in the fight," Chat smiled. King Monkey seemed to perk up at this, and gave him a fist bump. With that, the four moved out to the center stage. In typical villain fashion, almost amusingly, Hawk Moth was monologuing.

"And once I take you-Oh!" he said, taken aback at how many heroes there were. "Thank goodness you all have arrived! I was starting to get bored of monologuing."

"We're more than glad to shut you up," Ryuko said, drawing her sword.

"And I'll be more than glad if you would be so kind as to hand over your Miraculouses," Hawk Moth said, outstretching his hand like they were actually going to consider it.

"...Wow," King Monkey muttered. "You're a moron."

"In case you fools don't remember, lemme remind you!" Party Crasher suddenly spoke up. "I'm the only ever akuma to capture five Miraculous holders! Count em again - _five! _There's only _four _of y'all! What makes you think I ain't gonna just do it again?!"

"BECAUSE THERE'S NOT JUST FOUR OF THEM!"

Another sudden, not as familiar voice rang out from the other side of the stage, and everyone looked to see the source of the voice...

It was Luka, with the rest of Kitty Section next to him...

But Luka was back as Viperion.

Not only that, but Juleka had once more received the Tiger Miraculous to become Tiger Lily, Rose had gotten the Pig Miraculous to become Pinkiswine, and Ivan had gotten the Ox Miraculous to become Bluebull.

"You ever captured _eight _before?" Tiger Lily tacked on, smirking as she raised her fists, the stainless purple steel brass knuckles glimmering in the stage light.

"We have a certain teamwork bond that I'm sure you two don't have!" Pinkiswine smirked, taking out her nunchucks.

Bluebull just intimidatingly brandished his unusually large battle ax, smirking as he did so.

"You take four, I take four?" Party Crasher asked.

"Sounds like a plan," Hawk Moth nodded.

Team Ladybug would take on Hawk Moth, and Team Viperion would take on Party Crasher...

Seemed simple enough.

It wouldn't be.

-0-

Chat was currently in a panic. Party Crasher was wreaking havoc in the audience area, now a war-zone for the akuma and the rest of the team that had shown up to the fight. And then, on the other side of the stage, Hawk Moth had pinned his Lady down, and was trying to drive his cane into her chest!

He was absolutely frozen with fear... he didn't know what to do!

And then, he remembered.

There was a very particular prop that he, as Adrien, brought, that he felt was necessary to teach Hawk Moth a lesson for messing with his Lady.

"RYUKO!" Chat yelled.

Ryuko quickly broke off from the team of wielders fighting Party Crasher 2, and ran over to Chat's side. "What might I be able to do to help?"

"I need you to transform into the wind dragon, and fly over there backstage - there's a prop weapon, a-a hammer, that I need, but I wanna catch Hawk Moth off guard with it," Chat said, pointing vaguely to an area backstage. "Would you be okay with getting it delivered to me by wind?"

Ryuko smirked. "Anything to beat Hawk Moth's ass. WIND DRAGON!"

Hawk Moth briefly looked up as the gust of wind Ryuko had turned into flew past him, but went right back to pushing down his cane's pointed end toward's Ladybug's chest. She was very strong, he'd give her that...

"Running out of stamina, are we?!" he laughed ominously.

"N-No... j-just getting started!" Ladybug said. If it weren't for the fact she was in a bad position, she could've been up by now.

Suddenly...

Something struck Hawk Moth in the shoulder, flying right by him.

He lost all interest in Ladybug, and quickly snapped around to see what the hell had just struck him. And what he saw... he couldn't believe it!

Chat Noir was wielding Thor's hammer, Mjolnir.

Well, a replica of it, but still - it looked as badass as the real deal. And it had come flying out of nowhere into his hand!

"Haha! YEAH!" Ladybug exclaimed. "GO GET HIM, KITTY!"

Chat then broke out into a sprint, spinning the hammer around by its leather strap at the end. He was determined to show Hawk Moth that, no matter what, if you even laid a finger on his Lady, you _were screwed._

Hawk Moth met him midway, but Chat swung the hammer upwards just in time to knock Hawk Moth backwards via a good smack to his jaw. He was sent to the floor with a cry of agony, but Chat wasn't done.

And neither was Ryuko.

The purple supervillain stood back up, much more delirious; but Chat and Ryuko were far from finished. Using the wind dragon power, and Chat's throw-power, the two worked in coordination to toss the hammer at Hawk Moth and bring it right back to Chat's hand.

Blows were dealt to his face, to his chest, and to his arms; they were making quick work of him!

But the best was yet to come.

Ryuko de-transformed from her wind dragon powers, and yelled at Chat, "HOLD THE HAMMER UP!"

Chat did as she commanded, and then couldn't hide the smile as she shouted her next command...

"LIGHTNING DRAGON!"

Suddenly, lighting flew into the hammer, and electrified it like Thor would do himself; Chat then launched the lightning beam right at Hawk Moth, and with a clap of thunder, he was dealt a devastating blow from Ryuko's lighting summoned through Chat's Mjolnir replica.

He loved this thing!

"Thank you, chaton!" Ladybug smiled gratefully, running over to her kitty. "You... you look so cool with that hammer!"

"Aww, thank you, milady!" Chat said happily, spinning it back upright in his hand. "But you can thank Ryuko for making it look even more cooler than it already was."

"I'm glad you thought it looked cool," Ryuko said, manifesting back into her physical form and standing next to Chat. "Hey... where's King Monkey?"

"DUDE GOT CAUGHT BY PARTY CRASHER!" Viperion yelled, running away from said villain's disco ball hands. "WE'RE CURRENTLY ONE DOW-"

"PINKY!" yelled Tiger Lily, as Pinkiswine was suddenly absorbed into the disco ball.

"...Two down," Viperion corrected himself.

"We're gonna be three or four down if we don't start putting up more of a fight against this guy!" Bluebull suddenly exclaimed, charging at Party Crasher with his battle ax in hand.

"Let's fix all this," Viperion muttered. "SECOND CHAN-"

He was suddenly caught off guard, right before he could use his power, by Party Crasher, who managed to just barely touch him and absorb him into his disco ball hand. Then, as Bluebull came running in, Party Crasher repeated the exact same process, getting rid of two birds with one stone. Or rather, disco ball.

"THAT'S IT!" Tiger Lily roared. "_**POWER PUNCH!**_"

Tiger Lily then took off her brass knuckles, and rammed her fists together to activate her superhuman strength power - two hot magenta scars ran up her forearms to show that her powers were charged, and she now had the ability of delivering two devastating punches to any target she could punch.

"Fool!" Party Crasher exclaimed. "You're only prolonging the inevitable! Ain't gonna get to use no Power Punch, no ma'am!"

However, right as Party Crasher raced in for the final blow to Tiger Lily, something crashed into his own shoulder - no, not Mjolnir.

But it was a shield... a green shield.

"Carapace?" Ladybug wondered from the stage.

"Not tonight!" the turtle wielder said, walking into the light as he retrieved his shield. "My back finally allowed me one night of freedom!"

"Jade Turtle?!" the two team leaders exclaimed.

"I love music festivals!" Jade Turtle smiled, giving a wave to the heroes on the stage. He then pointed sternly at Hawk Moth, "And thanks to you, one of the best in Paris' history has been crashed by, I have no doubt, the _WORST _musical artist in our history!"

(There went any hopes of Gabriel's millisecond of a consideration of a rap career...)

"The Guardian... you made a mistake coming here," Hawk Moth said, standing up, now fully recovered from Ryuko's blast of lightning. "It would have been wise of you not to show!"

"Maybe so," Jade Turtle nodded. "However, my worst mistake was you."

That did it for Gabriel.

"COME ON!" he yelled, lunging at Jade Turtle with anger in his lungs, roaring as he slammed down his cane on his shield. Ladybug, Chat, Ryuko, and Tiger Lily would have rushed in to help, but the four were currently preoccupied with dealing with Party Crasher. Once he was taken care of, and purified back into Wayhem, they would deal with Hawk Moth with a full team.

Nine on one would be quite interesting to watch...

"CHAT!" Ladybug yelled. "LOOK OUT!"

Chat just barely ducked in time to avoid Party Crasher's disco ball hand touching him, and he was forced to swing his hammer to evade capture. This did, however, result in Mjolnir being absorbed into the disco ball.

"MJOLNIR!" Chat yelled; he was starting to get very used to wielding the hammer. "You're gonna pay for... wait, why am I getting attached to a prop?"

Ladybug couldn't help but roll her eyes at that... her kitty could be so silly sometimes. He even seemed to pull out his bo staff with reluctance! Oh, the poor soul...

"GUYS!" yelled Tiger Lily. "GET HIS HANDS APART!"

Ryuko and Chat put themselves in great danger, and moved behind Party Crasher, wrangling his arms to be spread apart. Tiger Lily then ran at full speed towards Party Crasher, and with a mighty roar, used both of her Power Punches on his disco ball hands. Instantly, the balls were knocked off and destroyed, and the four wielders who had been caught by them were brought back. And Chat's hammer was brought back too!

"Forgot how trippy that was," Viperion chuckled, rubbing his head as he came to once more.

"Oh, I'm gonna feel that in the morning..." Pinkiswine added.

Chat then bonked Party Crasher on the head with Mjolnir, and used his staff to toss Ladybug his sunglasses.

"Thanks, Kitty," Ladybug smiled, snapping the glasses. "Huh! I didn't even need to use my Lucky Charm! No more evil-doing for you, little akuma..."

Ladybug then captured the akuma in her yo-yo, and prepared to use her Miraculous Ladybug... when suddenly...

"ARGH!"

A sudden, sharp cry from Jade Turtle up on the stage sent them all into a panic - they had completely forgotten about him.

"HAND OVER THE MIRACULOUSES!" Hawk Moth yelled, currently keeping Jade Turtle in an arm lock. "OR ELSE I ERASE THE GUARDIANS FROM EXISTENCE FOR GOOD!"

"Oh no!" Pinkiswine gasped. "What are we gonna do?!"

"You all stay back," Chat said, pulling out his bo staff in his right hand, keeping Mjolnir in his left. "I'll deal with him."

"Kitty-" Ladybug started, not wanting to see him in any more danger.

"HEY!" yelled Chat, spinning Mjolnir as he jumped up onto the stage. "Its me you partly want, right? Well, I'm right here."

Hawk Moth smirked. This was gonna be fun...

"It is indeed," he said, freeing Jade Turtle. He smirked as he saw Viperion and Ryuko immediately help him off stage; pathetic, really. "Let's see what good a piece of plastic can be without its magic."

"This thing weighs like, thirty pounds," Chat muttered.

The two then charged at one another, and were instantly locked in a heated combat. Hawk Moth still hadn't forgiven Chat for absolutely _obliterating _him earlier with Ryuko's help, and he fully intended to make up for that right here, right now.

Right as Chat was about to swing the hammer around, and probably knock a few teeth out, _he caught the thing._

Not only that, but he swung around his free hand, and knocked it out of Chat's hand, sending it flying off of the stage and onto the ground.

"Gah!" Chat screamed, feeling an awful pain in his wrist. And then, he desperately tried to push back at the horrifying sight that was Hawk Moth looming over him with anger. Everyone not on the stage was frozen in fear... they wanted to help, but they were so scared that they couldn't.

All they could do was watch.

Hawk Moth then grabbed him by his neck, and used his free hand to clock Chat twice in the face. Feeling briefly dazed, Chat instinctively reached out for his hammer like Thor himself, and then remembered: without Ryuko's help and power, he would be wielding a plain old prop.

Chat then made a desperate move, pulling out his staff and praying it could hold back Hawk Moth...

If he didn't, he had a bad feeling this was it.

The evil, sadistic smile on Hawk Moth's face was telling Chat that he didn't just want the Miraculous... he wanted him _dead. _

Chat closed his eyes, feeling like his strength depleted every second.

"MILADY!" he cried out. "HELP!"

"She can't help you now!" Hawk Moth yelled, drowning out whatever Ladybug had just said. "She'll watch you crumble... SHE'LL WATCH YOU-"

A sudden tap on Hawk Moth's shoulder averted his attention. Feeling overly confident, he turned to look.

_BAM!_

A red, black polka-dotted hammer met his face in a loud crash, and he was sent staggering back. Chat smiled happily at the sight of his Lady, and even more so at the sight of her wielding her own Mjolnir... gosh, for such a close tango with death, this fight was actually pretty damn epic.

"Let's get you off this stage," Ladybug said with a smile, helping Chat get off. "C'mon Kitty..."

"Thank you, Milady," smiled Chat. But before he stepped off, he flipped off Hawk Moth - like the true rebel he was. "BOOM!" he yelled.

Almost on cue, Viperion led King Monkey, Tiger Lily, Pinkiswine, and Taurus up onto the stage, and the five started to beat the crap out of Hawk Moth.

"OI! YOU DON'T JUST BEAT UP AN OLD MAN AND TEENAGER LIKE THAT!" King Monkey said, bonking Hawk Moth with his staff.

"Ya sick bastard!" Viperion yelled, tossing his lyre at Hawk Moth's jaw.

"YOU COULD'VE KILLED MY BEST FRIEND!" Tiger Lily screamed, gladly punching him with her brass knuckles.

Ladybug and Chat were finally able to rest for a moment, just looking up from the ground as Hawk Moth tried to defend himself from the five pissed off wielders. Jade Turtle gave them both a proud smile, and Ryuko was happy that her leaders were both okay.

"Y'know, honestly, this has been quite an epic battle," Chat said. "I'm really glad I got to share it with you."

"Thanks Kitty," Ladybug smiled, scratching his chin. "What say we wrap it up?"

"All to happy to," Chat smiled.

Ladybug then tossed her hammer in the air to cure everything that had been damaged, using her Miraculous Ladybug to also purify Wayhem, who was knocked out stone cold on the ground after Tiger Lily's Power Punch had probably dislocated his wrists.

And even though this technically meant the battle was over...

The five on ground level were still smacking Hawk Moth around.

It was only by a narrow slip up thanks to King Monkey that he was able to escape, swearing revenge against the entire team.

However, on his way out, he tripped over Wayhem, causing the entire team to get a good laugh.

Chat held out his fist. "Pound it?"

Ladybug then did something unexpected - she kissed him on the cheek. And then, she fist bumped him. "Pound it," she said quietly, smiling as she rested her head on his shoulder.

If it weren't for his sudden crush on Marinette, Chat would be head over heels for Ladybug at this very moment.

However, he just smiled, and rested his head on hers. He had a feeling that this was probably just because he had almost gotten himself killed by Hawk Moth in the fight, and that tomorrow, they'd be right back to their dynamic.

And he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Great job today, all!" Chat said to his six allies, and the Guardian himself. "I'd say this was a pretty good battle..."

"I know I had fun!" Pinkiswine smiled, innocent as ever.

"It was pretty epic," nodded Bluebull.

"And I am very proud of you all," Jade Turtle smiled. "You all have done well today. Thank you all for taking up your roles once more."

And with that, Team Miraculous dispersed, ready to go home after a long day...

And Adrien, well. He was just as happy as could be.

Because he had made a decision.

He was going to reveal himself to Marinette that night, and confess his crush to her.

-0-

**_10:00 PM_**

Chat had just made it to the rooftop of the Dupain-Cheng bakery... he was tired, exhausted, and excited.

He didn't know it was possible to feel such a range of emotions in one single combo, but he wasn't complaining; he was ready to confess his crush, and it had been a very, very long and exhausting (but still, amazing) day. It made sense.

And then, setting down his hammer, he said one more silent prayer, and tapped on her window.

He heard rustling, and he didn't want to look, in case his Princess was getting changed for bed.

Instead, he saw something _far _more unexpected in her room...

_LADYBUG?!_

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**I hope you all have enjoyed this story so far! As sad as it makes me, the next chapter will indeed be the last, but I plan to have a great finale! Thank you all so much for reading, and all of your amazing reviews. See you very soon for the final chapter! :D**


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